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,,If you considered only the financial implications of having children, you might end up childless“. I read this statement in financialplan.about.com. We can’t base our most important life decisions on finances alone, although of course it will be easier if you’re financially ready. It’s true, it is expensive to have kids, but fortunately most people doesn’t let that scare them. Kids are so much more than a price tag but it’s better to be prepared for how expensive it really is to become a parent. Children seem to rack up a lot of surprise costs for example, music lessons, babysitting costs, daycare cost, medicine and medical fees. These unexpected costs really add up. Did I mentioned the cost of sending the kids to college. Having children is expensive but it is the most rewarding job in the world. Being a parent is probably the most important thing we’ll ever do in our life. It brings a lot of joy which is priceless and very fulfilling. Becoming a parent is just a beginning of a wonderful adventure, even though it can sometimes be economically challenging – it’s worth it.

I want to recommend site called Spoonful.com I just stumbled upon this website and really like it. It contains wide variety of activities for kids and can be helpful on rainy days or just whenever you want to have some family fun.

I know it’s an old cleshay but still it’s an important one. Remember to use sunscreen or sunblock, everyone should use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. When choosing a sunscreen for baby or toddler you should choose a sunscreen that provides broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection. Sunscreen with SPF 30 or SPF 50 is recommended for young children or of course sunblock. Water-resistant sunscreen that is hypoallergenic and fragrance free, is also recommended for childs sensitive skin. I use Proderm Sunscreen Mousse Spf 30 for my kids because a dermatologist recommended this brand to me.

When you’re having fun in the sun it’s easy to forget until it’s too late. The result may be painful sunburn that damage the tissues beneath the surface of your skin. Sunscreen helps to prevent the harmful effects of the sun, such as wrinkles and skin cancer. Once you’ve applied sunscreen on your skin you can enjoy the sunshine, after all sun exposure is important for the body’s vitamin D supply. Facial skin is thin and highly exposed, it is particularly important to apply sunscreen there liberally.

Being a mom can often be very challenging. This describes the many challenges of motherhood so well. A mother must be a multi-talented person, it is the hardest job in the world but also the most rewarding. In my opinion the most difficult part of motherhood is not the actual parenting part, but managing the household, making sure everyone’s schedules match, picking up the kids and dropping off kids, cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, shopping groceries and finding time to do something fun together as a family and once in a while trying to squeeze in a little mommy time-off. That is the challenge of motherhood.

Active listening is positive and effective communication skill that can improve communication between parent and child, by bringing clarity and understanding to relationships. It makes child feeling loved and worthy, appreciated, interesting, and respected. Parents expect that their child can trust their love, they want to be there for their child and hope that their child will turn to them for comfort. Good communication is an important parenting skill. With active listening you will let the child know that you are interested and involved and that you will help when needed. Active listening can truly transform how your children talk to you, it can deepen the bond, the trust, the mutual respect and mutual understanding in relationships.

1. Pay Attention: While the other person is speaking, look at the speaker directly, lean forward and maintain eye contact. Minimize all external distractions. Give this your full attention and ask the child to do the same. So turn off the TV or anything else that could disturb your conversation.2. Respond appropriately: While you are listening, you can give both verbal and nonverbal responses such as nodding, smiling, and comment to the child. Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments like yes, and uh huh.3. Focus only on what the speaker is saying: Try not to think about what you are going to say next. The conversation will follow a logical flow after the speaker makes her point. If your own thoughts keep interrupting you, simply let them go and keep your attention on the speaker.4. Keep an open mind. When active listening, the listener resists the temptation to make the assumptionthat they already know what the speaker is trying to say. Wait until the speaker is finished before deciding that you disagree.5. Show Respect and understanding: Unless they specifically ask for advice, assume they just need to talk it out. Do not dominate the conversation.6. Let the Speaker Finish the Point they Were Making: Don’t interrupt even if the speaker is launching a complaint against you, wait until they finish to defend yourself. The speaker will feel as though their point had been made. Allow the speaker to finish each point before asking questions. Do not interrogate the speaker.7. Engage yourself. Children needs to know that you take their views and ideas seriously. Ask questions for clarification, but only when the speaker has finished. After you ask questions to make sure you didn’t misunderstand. Start with: “So you’re saying…”

I was reading an article stating that kids today are more narrow-minded and not as creative as their grandparents were. Young children can be very creative and love to use their imagination – there is no limit to their creation. Child can easily turn piece of paper into an airplane or a rocket just by using the imagination. As the kids grow older they tend to lose this talent, little by little, if it isn’t allowed to develop.

What is creativity? Creativity has been defined as the ability to use the imagination to see things differently, or to view the world in a distinct and personal way. Creativity is a skill that can be taught. Parents can help their kids to develop their skill by providing them with the resources they need for creative expression.

Why is creativity so important? Creativity is the talent to write stories and play music, or to make arts and crafts. But this talent is also used to solve everyday problems and even perform complex math operations. Creativity is not limited to artistic and musical expression—it is also essential for science, math, and even social andemotional intelligence. Creative people are more flexible and better problem solvers, which makes them more able to adapt to technological advances and deal with change—as well as take advantage of new opportunities.

What can parents do to encourage creativity?

Prepare kids bedroom or play area in a way that encourages creativity, keep coloring devices and paper handy and easily accessible, according to their age. Keep a variety of artistic materials such as clay, play dough, music, books, blocks, legos, and other creative toys within the reach of the child, appropriate for their age.

Encourage coloring and drawing, to read for pleasure and participate in the arts. Allow your kid to think for himself, do not interrupt or try to guide the child in “right direction”. Kids needs an opportunities for free self-expression, without negative judgment. The child might take that as critique and be discouraged to continue. Children can be very critical. If your child becomes frustrated because he can’t do something perfectly, be sympathetic and explain to him that everyone needs practice to master new things.

My kids are adorable, really they are the most wonderful persons I know. But as lovely as they are, sometimes they can totally make me speechless because of something they say or do. Having kids seems to multiple the opportunities for embarrassing moments for parents. Kids are completely unpredictable and when you’re least expecting they say something that can really make your cheeks turn red and just want to disappear. My most embarrassing moments are related to something they said, something totally inappropriate.

My most embarrassing moment was caused by my oldest daughter. It was in her birthday party, she just turned four. We had invited the whole family, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles and other relatives and friends. Everybody stood around the table, getting ready to sing the birthday song. As I was lighting the candles on the birthday cake I heard her whisper something to me. I didn’t hear what she said so foolishly told her to speak louder for me to hear her. Then she said loudly “Mommy why didn’t you wear any panties last night?” Everybody became totally silent and I was speechless, just felt how my cheeks were started to warm up, turning bright red. Then my sister, thank god for her, stepped in and said “Well, let’s light the candles for you, birthday girl.” Then everybody just started talking again and we sang the birthday song for her. No one ever mentioned this incident to me, well except my sister and husband. They thought it was hilarious afterwards and today I can laugh about it, but for years I couldn’t.

I’ve been reading articles about how TV can have negative effect on children. According to the U.S. Health and Human Services news release, a study done by a doctoral candidate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has shown that too much television before the age of six could lead to possible behavioral problems later in life. According to them most kids like to watch TV and movies or play video games and use the computer. They often find it relaxing or entertaining. But too much time spent in those activities affects kids health and athletic ability. Kids who view violent acts are more likely to show aggressive behavior. If children who spend more than 4 hours per day watching TV, in the first years of life, the more likely to be overweight and less muscular according to a study by the University of Montreal. It will also affect how physically active he will be as an adult. TV watching can leed to obesity not only because it reduces children’s physical activity but also because it subjects them to ads wich are promoting foods with high fat and sugar content.

TV steals time from activities that actually develop the brain, like language, creativity, motor, and social skills. A child learns more efficiently from real interaction – with people and things, rather than things she sees on a video screen. School kids who watch too much TV also tend to work less on their homework. When doing homework with TV on in the background, kids tend to retain less skill and information.

Adults must ensure that their children are watching appropriate programs. Parents needs to monitor the content of TV programs and set viewing limits to ensure that your kids don’t spend too much time parked in front of the TV. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that kids under 2 years old should not watch any TV and those older than 2 should not watch more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programs. TV isn’t all bad. Kids can get help learning on public television, f.ex. about wildlife on nature shows. No doubt about it — TV can be an excellent educator and entertainer – if you choose the quality programs.

Parents needs to realise that the mind of their kids is like clay. It forms early impressions on what it sees, and these early impressions determine how they see the world.

The conclusion is that as kids get older, too much screen time can interfere with activities such as being physically active, reading, doing homework, playing with friends, and spending time with family. Quality, educational programs can be informative for your kids but parents needs to monitor the programs and set time limits.